Alaska:Bush
dog brought to Anchorage tests positive for rabies - The
Municipality of Anchorage euthanized a husky-mix dog on March
1 after the dog, recently brought to Anchorage from the Bush,
bit its Anchorage trainer on Feb. 27. The trainer and five other
people who had close contact with the dog are receiving shots
to prevent rabies.

Officials with the State Department
of Health and Social Services, Section of Epidemiology received
notification of the bite and contacted Anchorage Animal Control
on Feb. 28. Three Animal Control officers responded to impound
the animal that day. Testing by the state confirmed the dog had
rabies.

The dog was rescued from a
village in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region, where other dogs
were attacked by a fox in February. The dog showed no sign of
having been bitten by the fox and so was spared when the other
dogs involved were euthanized by the village safety officer.
The dog arrived in Anchorage on Feb. 16.

Officials with the state, the
Municipality of Anchorage Department of Health and Human Services,
and the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation have taken the proper
precautions and safety measures in both the village and Anchorage
area to ensure the safety of all staff and the general public.
These measures included cleaning and disinfecting all areas where
the dog had been held and investigating whether any other people
or animals may have had contact with the dog. The investigation
determined that the dog was kept confined or under its trainer's
control since its arrival in Anchorage. - More...
Thursday - March 05, 2009

Under the Act, communities
in unorganized areas and boroughs that receive Secure Rural Schools
money must elect to use 15% of their allocation for one of two
separate titles in the Act, or that 15% will revert to the
federal government.

Title III funds may only be
used to carry out the Firewise Communities program, develop community
wildfire protection plans, and reimburse for emergency services
paid for by counties and performed on national forest
systems land.

Title II funds may be used
for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of fish and
wildlife habitat, and other resource objectives consistent with
the Secure Rural Schools Act on national forests. Those funds
may also be used on non-federal land where projects would benefit
the resources on national forests. Resource advisory committees
(RAC) propose and monitor projects under Title II. - More...
Thursday - March 05, 2009

The apology from reclusive
Joe Hazelwood comes at the end of a new, 288-page book commemorating
the 20th anniversary of the spill.

"I was the captain of
a ship that ran aground and caused a horrendous amount of damage.
I've got to be responsible for that," he says.

The book features 62 "personal
stories" from people involved with the spill, including
people aboard the tanker, Alaska politicians, cleanup workers,
U.S. Coast Guard officers and to reporters who covered one of
the state's biggest stories.

The piece de resistance is
an interview with Hazelwood, who has not talked publicly since
the shipwreck that sank his career as a tanker captain. - More...
Thursday - March 05, 2009

"Alaska's Supreme Court
bears the awesome responsibility of ensuring that our court system
administers justice in firm accordance with the principles laid
down in our state Constitution," said Governor Palin. "I
have every confidence that Judge Christen has the experience,
intellect, wisdom and character to be an outstanding Supreme
Court justice."

Christen, 47, was born in Chehalis,
Washington. After attending colleges in England, Switzerland,
and the People's Republic of China, she received a bachelor's
degree in international studies from the University of Washington
in 1983, and a law degree from Golden Gate University School
of Law in San Francisco, California, in 1986. - More...
Thursday - March 05, 2009

Alaska: CHANGE
YOUR CLOCK, CHANGE YOUR BATTERIES, AUTOMATIC MONTHLY E-MAIL REMINDER
AVAILABLE - Alaska State Fire Marshal David Tyler is reminding
Alaskans to check the batteries in their smoke and CO (carbon
monoxide) alarms when they change their clock for Daylight Savings
Time this Sunday. Tyler also reminds the public of a program
that is available free of charge through The Alaska Division
of Fire and Life Safety. Alaskans can go to The Alaska Division
of Fire and Life Safety's web site at www.akburny.com and click
on a "smoke alarm reminder" link. On this site
they can sign up for a free monthly e-mail reminder to check
their smoke alarms.

Many homes have smoke and CO
alarms with batteries that should be replaced at least twice
annually. Daylight Savings Time can serve as a reminder to check
smoke and CO alarms and change the batteries. With the development
of long-life lithium battery powered alarms, the batteries have
a life span of up to 10 years, so you may not need to replace
this type of battery as often. The National Fire Protection Association
suggests that 90% of American homes are equipped with smoke alarms
but over 50% of them are not in working condition. "The
key is to take a few minutes to check, test and clean your smoke
and CO alarms to make sure they are functioning properly, and
what better time to do this than when you change your clock for
Daylight Savings Time", Tyler said. - More...
Thursday - March 05, 2009

Alaska:Invasion
of the redlegged frogs By NED ROZELL - In the early 1980s,
a schoolteacher in a Southeast Alaska logging camp ordered a
few clusters of frog eggs from a biological supply company. The
teacher and his students succeeded in rearing those eggs into
tadpoles, and then frogs. They enjoyed the frogs until school
ended, when they released the frogs into a nearby pond.

A redlegged frog.
Photo by Lance Lerum

From that act of seeming compassion
came an invasion of Chichagof Island by redlegged frogs, a species
Alaska hadn't hosted before. The frogs have spread over the southeast
portion of the island, and seem to be doing quite well.

Though they appear harmless as they hop through the island's
lowlands, the frogs could push out (by gobbling up) a native
toad that makes its home on Chichagof Island. And that is the
danger of exotics, said biologist Lance Lerum of the U.S. Forest
Service in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Lerum spent more than a decade
in Southeast Alaska before transferring to Oregon.

"My fear was that this
introduced population will be another stressor to western toad
viability," Lerum said over the phone from Klamath Falls.
"In two years of field work, we found thousands of redlegged
frogs, but we didn't find a single western toad in our study
area."

During a more recent trip, though, Lerum and his coworkers found
150 adult male western toads at one breeding site on the island.
They still exist, but the newfound success of the redlegged frog
is perhaps a threat to young western toads. Frogs will eat almost
anything smaller than themselves.

Even though its Latin name, Rana aurora, seems to fit
its new niche in the state, the redlegged frog is a visitor biologists
wish had never come riding up in a cardboard box. And the redlegged
frog's spread over Chichagof Island may foreshadow a leap to
other places in Southeast, facilitated not by their legs, but
by people, especially little ones, who sometimes make temporary
pets of frogs, take them home, then release them. Biologists
can envision some frogs reaching different locales in Southeast
via rides on the ferry.

Once a species is established
and thriving, as is the redlegged frog, there is usually little
we humans can do to reverse the process. In addition to out-competing
or eating other animals, exotics can spread diseases new to an
area. Introductions of non-native fish and game species are now
illegal in Alaska, but prevention is the key, Lerum said.

"When (the release of the redlegged frogs) happened, it's
what people did," he said. "But now there's a lot more
awareness of the implications of 'bucket biology.'" - More...
Thursday - March 05, 2009

Another
link to Mainland By Al Johnson - Charles Schill submitted
the following while reviewing contour maps of our area. Excerpt
quote: "There is no way in the world we are going to see
a road through MFNMW. And the cost would be 1000 times the bridge
to Gravina." - More...
Thursday - March 05, 2009

Hanger:
Wise Investment By Chris Elliott - Nothing undermines an
argument more than outrageous claims: "There are no patriots
among the rich; just whores." Like many clever phrases,
this is more amusing than accurate. - More...
Thursday - March 05, 2009

Petition
to the Ketchikan Borough Assembly and City Council By Mike
Holman - A few days ago SitNews published a letter captioned
"Taxes" written by Dustin Hofeling. At the end of his
letter Mr. Hofeling wrote: "I've heard that there is a petition
circulating around town which people are signing. The petition
will be presented to the borough and city about our disgust at
paying more taxes. Where is it? And where do I sign?" -
More...
Wednesday PM - March 04, 2009

WISE
INVESTMENT By David G. Hanger - The stock market has broken
through the 8000 barrier, going south. Like the Nenana Ice Classic
one can bet where ultimately it will fall, but net zero is not
impossible. - More...
Wednesday PM - March 04, 2009

Link
to the mainland By Charles Schilli - The more I look at the
topo maps of the land between Ketchikan and the Canadian border,
the more I wonder if anyone advocatiing a link to the mainland
can read a map. - More...
Wednesday PM - March 04, 2009

Over
the Horizon... Too late? By Ken Bylund - The ideal human
trait is to look ahead and see whether we are going to eat or
get eaten. We have shelter... good. Food and water, plentiful
enough for our everyday needs. What is at risk is energy...
electrical power - that magical helper we take for granted
- it pumps water into your shelter to bathe, drink, cook, wash,
and yes... flush the toilet. It enables the furnace, electric
space heaters, stoves, washer, dryer, refrigeration, freezers,
keeps the plumbing from freezing solid, the source that keeps
us alive depends on hydroelectric reservoirs that are
out of sight and [unfortunately] out of mind. - More...
Wednesday PM - March 04, 2009

Once
Again Sam Tells It Like It Is! By Dan McQueen - I've been
wondering when someone on the "Official" side would
speak up. We the people who live on this "Rock" are
TAXED OUT. - More...
Wednesday PM - March 04, 2009

I
have a nightmare. By Chris Elliott - The Seattle Times published
an interesting editorial by E. J. Dionne Jr. on 3/3/09 entitled
"Learning to share (some of) the wealth". Mr. Dionne
opined: Politicians will say lots of things in the coming weeks,
but they should be pushed relentlessly to address the bottom-line
question: Do they believe that a fairer distribution of capitalism's
bounty is essential to repairing a sick economy? Everything else
is a subsidiary issue. - More...
Wednesday PM - March 04, 2009

Thank
You By Joey Tillson - I would like to send out a huge "thank
you" to Senator Kim Elton for all of his hard work, dedication
and loyalty to the people of the state of Alaska. He has been
a great motivator for change and has been the "watchdog"
of our finances. - More...
Wednesday PM - Marhc 04, 2009

HR-45
COMMUNIST GUN CONTROL By Leonard Dobrzyn - One famous American
put it as best as it can be... Why would you want to surrender
or give back rights that your forefathers fought and shed blood
to uphold and provide for you? Australia recently passed these
similar measures. Rape is up, break in's are up, murder is up,
and homes remain unprotected because a man cannot blow away some
dirty low life druggie that breaks into his home to do him and
his family harm! - More...
Wednesday PM - March 04, 2009

Lack of communication from Elected Officials By Chris Barry
- Why must we continually wait for those that are supposed to
be working for our best interest to inform us of bills that would
harm our way of life? Why must the general public be the ones
to bring these harmful bills to light? - More...
Wednesday PM - March 04, 2009

Dogs
in the Borough By Bethany Phippen - I remember reading awhile
back about the dogs on North Point Higgins Road that were always
running loose on the roads. I have the problem down on the south
end of the island with neighbors putting their dogs out at all
hours of the "dark" and leaving them on their decks
to bark. I do not understand why nothing can be done about it.
Just because we don't live in "the city", shouldn't
mean that we don't receive the same law enforcement that everybody
else does. - More...
Wednesday PM - March 04, 2009

Tax
increase is not the answer By Samuel Bergeron - Each morning
a young family with two young kids waits for the school bus.
Some mornings the children have an uncooked Top Ramen noodles
to eat for breakfast and say they are hungry. Obviously this
is the best the parents can do for their children. The City Council
is now considering raising the sales tax the parents of these
children pay at the grocery store for food, on the rent they
pay to their landlord, and on the clothes they buy at the thrift
store. - More...
Monday - March 02, 2009

Gun
bill is going nowhere By U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski - Legislation
recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives reminds
us that we must remain vigilant in the defense of our Second
Amendment rights. Many in Fairbanks, and across the nation, have
expressed great concern about the introduction of HR 45, The
Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act, and I would like to
address these concerns. - More...
Saturday - February 28, 2009

Gun
Control HR45 By Chris Barry - Here is a bill introduced to
further force communism upon the citizens of the USofA. - More...
Saturday - February 28, 2009

Initiative
process: Tackling an enormous problem By Rep. Kyle Johansen
- HB 36, also known as the Open and Transparent Initiative Act,
is an attempt to tackle an enormous problem we have here in Alaska:
our initiative process is used as a way for special interests
to maneuver around the lawmaking body to enact laws without regard
for the public as a whole. The right to petition government belongs
to the citizens of Alaska. It is imperative that the process
be protected from abuse. HB 36 offers those safeguards. I am
taking this opportunity to review the changes I believe need
to happen to protect our initiative process. - More...
Saturday - February 28, 2009

More
taxes to fix our streets?? By Chas Edwardson - We all know
that taxes are necessary and that certain taxes are needed to
maintain the town we live in. But it should not be the only answer
our elected officials come up with every time there is a problem.
Come up with an original idea for once. - More...
Thursday - February 26, 2009

Taxes
By Dustin Hofeling - I've written in this forum many times about
why local taxes should not be raised. Like many of the other
contributors and readers here, I just don't have the time to
go to the city or borough meetings to voice my opinions. So I
guess I shouldn't complain too much about the looming tax increase.
- More...
Tuesday - February 24, 2009

Sales
Tax Increase By John Harrington - The City Council has begun
the process to raise the sales tax. They are a first class city
and as such they don't need a vote of the people to raise them.
But they do provide the forum so that the citizens can be heard.
- More...
Monday - February 23, 2009

DIAL
PERFORMING ARTS SUPPORT By Pete Ellis - It would appear that
Rodney's recent remarks were, perhaps, of a far more positive
nature than have been some of his previous expressions. - More...
Monday - February 23, 2009

Is
this the time? By Rich Elliott - Hopefully the fourteen individuals
presently sitting on the Borough Assembly and the City Council
either read the newspaper or watch the news on television. If
they do, they probably can see that not only our nation s economy,
but the entire global economy is in dire straits. Presently,
it s in the toilet and possibly over the next couple of years,
it could end up in the drain field.
- More...
Monday - February 23, 2009

Open
Letter: Alaska Marine Highway System By David G. Hanger -
Dear Governor Palin: A substantial percentage of the employees
of the Alaska Marine Highway System have been involved for the
better part of ten years in a collective and systematic income
tax fraud that has cost the U.S. Treasury millions of dollars
in unpaid tax revenues. These employees had every reason to know
that what they were doing was wrong, and they did it anyway.
Rather than respecting the expertise and integrity of any number
of Alaska accountants who told them the simple truth, they crawled
into bed with an individual named Martin A. Kapp, a liar and
crook who resides in southern California, who professed "magic"
knowledge known only to him that permitted him to deduct on Federal
income tax returns the cost of meals provided on board and paid
for by the state of Alaska. Repeating that, expenses incurred
and paid for by the state of Alaska were deducted on the individual
tax returns of state employees. - More...
Monday - February 23, 2009

Ketchikan's
property assessments By Chas Edwardson - I was talking to
a friend of mine in church the other day and he was dazed, amazed,
confused and not in a good way. And he is not alone in this.
As many in Ketchikan have stared in awe at their borough's assessments
and property tax statements, we marvel at the mysterious powers
Ketchikan seems to have. We are in the midst of one of the nations
worst recessions in our lifetime. In fact not many of the generation
of a worse economic crisis are left to draw off of any sort of
reference on how to handle such a serious economic down turn.
- More...
Monday - February 23, 2009

Reinstate
the death penalty By House Speaker Mike Chenault - [This
week], the House Judiciary Committee will begin hearing legislation
I have proposed to reinstate the death penalty in the State of
Alaska. As we in the Legislature enter into what I suspect will
be a lively and controversial debate, I want to take the opportunity
to share my views on the matter with Alaskans who might not have
a chance to listen to the hearings. - More...
Monday - February 23, 2009

Snow
dumped in the water By Joey Tillson - This is in response
to dumping the snow in the water. It's unfortunate that we have
litterbugs in this town that make it impossible for that to happen.
Have you seen what our city plow-guys have had the wonderful
opportunity of plowing along with the snow? Cigarette butts,
cigarette boxes, drink containers, gum, gum wrappers, and other
crud. - More...
Monday - February 23, 2009

Bridge
to Gravina Island By Edward Ness - I lived n Ketchikan for
25 years & Alaska for 62. I never could see a bridge to Gravina
Island. There is no benefit to Ketchikan that I can see but it's
too bad the money couldn't be used to subsidize the ferries for
50 years. - More...
Monday - February 23, 2009

Roads
& Bridges To Somewhere By Jerilyn Lester - Mr. McGillvray
& Mr. Glenn, I have never said that bridges and roads to
the mainland would not be beneficial and I am not sure that anyone
for the bridge to Gravina and the airport was. The fact is that
the bridge to Gravina and the airport has been promised to us
for 30 years and it always seems to find the biggest opposition
from people out of the state and those on the mainland. The fact
that in my 25 years here the option that you propose has not
been more than another pipe dream because it is no more favored
than the bridge to the airport. - More...
Monday - February 23, 2009

Instead
of a bridge... By Steve Elliott - Instead of a bridge to
a mainland highway, a road to a port & a port and road on
the mainland side, then a non government vehicle ferry operating
in the spring, summer, fall, & closed for the winter. Gate
the road on both ends closed for the winter = no road clearing
expense & we the people can come & go for minimal expense.
- More...
Monday - February 23, 2009

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